Community Lending for Tasmanians
Member Agency News Edition 9: October 2014 in this edition What’s new at NILS? Quarterly payment summaries Loan Officer training 2015 Application of the Month Award
> Celebrating success
10,000 Loans!
In our last newsletter we announced loan number 10,000. Recently we held an afternoon tea, at Ravenswood Neighbourhood House, to celebrate this achievement.
Christmas Hours d NILS Office will be close from 20th December and reopening on the 5th January 2015.
Please note we cannot guarantee processing of r applications received afte the 10th December
We were joined Kim Booth, the leader of the Greens, and Sarah Courtney, the Liberal Member for Bass along with the wonderful mob at Ravenswood. Also with us were Launceston Alderman, Hugh Mackenzie, and Sharon Kaproulias and Tanya McInnes, representing our corporate supporters – Aurora Energy. Sarah presented Jackie (loan number 10,000) with some lovely flowers and spoke of the government’s continuing support for NILS.
Merry as m t s i r h C 2014 Afternoon Tea at Ravenswood Community House NILS is proudly supported by
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Community Lending for Tasmanians
Quarterly Payment Summaries – Claiming $10 per application Submitted to NILS Nils are now able to generate a Quarterly Payment Summary spreadsheet for each of the Member Agents. This summary, which will be provided at the end of each quarter by email, summarises all the interviews conducted by the Member Agents and submitted to Nils. Payment for these interviews is made regardless of the applicant’s final outcome. The first of these reports was sent in early October for the period July 1st – September 30th 2014. Member Agent who have in excess of $100 worth of claims in a quarter, are asked to provide a tax invoice to us so that payment can be made. Amounts of less than $100 can be confirmed for payment by return email or invoice. Payments are not automatic – we do require a response from the Member Agent confirming correct numbers. Request for payments for loan applications for the period January 1st 2014 to July 1st 2014 were the responsibility of the Member Agents, however we are more than happy to assist with determining just how many were done in this time frame if needed. We are here to assist our Member Agents where ever possible, so please contact me if we can be of any help eve@nilstasmania.org.au
The work you do for NILS is about so much more than a budget that we’re changing our monthly award to make sure we recognise the wide range of skills you bring that make NILS such a success. The emphasis at NILS is now less on you getting a perfect budget done with the client and more on having the financial conversation about what a budget is and how it can work better for them. If you have special skills in the budget area, please don’t stop sharing them with our clients – we all benefit when you pass your expertise along. To be in the running for ‘Application of the Month’ you need to provide applications that: > Demonstrate you’ve talked with the client about budgeting and where their money goes (filled out as much of the budget page as possible) > Include as many of the papers required to apply for a NILS loan (See the checklist on the final page of the application form) > Show you have an understanding of the client and their situation (Additional Information – page 2 of the application form) > Show you’ve contacted NILS to get answers to any questions you’ve had along the way. IN THIS NEWSLETTER WE CELEBRATE THE WORK OF: > September Simone Lowe George Town Neighbourhood House > October Denita Dean Centacare Hobart
Request for Loan Officer Training in 2015 If you require further volunteers to undertake the NILS Loan Officer Training or would like some “top up training” in 2015 please email us at training@nilstasmania.org.au We always welcome your feedback and comments!
www.nilstasmania.org.au
NEW! NILS Application of the Month Award
ion of Applicat nth the Mo Award
> November Brian Heazlewood, Anglicare Burnie > December Pam Johnson Dorset Community House Congratulations to our winners! Your prize is in the mail!
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Community Lending for Tasmanians
? S IL N t a w e n ’s t a h W > NILS Network of Tasmania Lending Guidelines
The NILS Network is funded by state and federal governments to improve the standard of living of Tasmanians on low incomes by providing them with loans for essential items and services. Currently NILS lends up to $1200 to any eligible Tasmanian.
Member Agency News
Recent work undertaken by NILS indicates that applicants whose incomes are extremely low (less than $560 per f/n) find it more difficult to successfully repay a loan. This is contrary to our aim to provide a positive and successful financial experience for our clients and creates a sense of failure when we are aiming to achieve the opposite. To ensure we do not continue to place our clients in this situation, we have changed the maximum that can be borrowed by applicants who fall into the ‘extremely low’ income range. The new borrowing limit will be $800 for applicants whose total fortnightly income is less than $560. If you have any questions or comments about the implications of this policy change or any other matter related to NILS and financial literacy generally, please feel free to contact me on 1300 301 650 or rick@nilstasmania.org.au. Rick – NILS Coordinator
cebook! a F n o t u o s u k c e > Ch
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We at NILS wish you all a wonderfu l and safe Christmas… and look forward to catching up with everyo ne in 2015!
Questions or comments? E-mail us at danita@nilstasmania.org.au